The railway line through Somerton was built between 1903 and 1906. It was the last major line built by the Great Western Railway, and it provided a 'cut-off' from Castle Cary to Taunton, which reduced the line from London to Taunton by 20 miles in length and 21 minutes in journey time.

The photograph (Brian Tiffin 2006) shows the viaduct across the Parrett valley at Langport.

The Marmaduke Cradock Trust owns an album of photographs of the building of the line, as well as other photographs of the stations and trains. Some of these were published in a book written in 2006 called 'Castle Cary to Durston: the Story of a Railway'. The book is now out of print.